NHL: Flyers lose Talbot, most likely for rest of regular season

Max Talbot is likely finished for at least the regular season with a broken left leg. Danny Briere may not return before then due to a concussion. Three of the Flyersí starting defensemen have been lost to injury in the past couple of weeks.

And with a couple of inspiring victories in the previous two days perhaps changing the landscape as the Flyers ponder the pending trade deadline, general manager Paul Holmgren Monday traded away one of his fastest skaters for a proven ... puncher.

While the trade of Harry Zolnierczyk to Anaheim straight up for newest Flyer fighter Jay Rosehill is nothing to write home about, it is, well...

Hey, at least they wonít have the inimitable Brown grad Harry Z. taking any more suspension worthy penalties like he did a couple of times this season. (He only was suspended once, but Brendan Shanahanís a nice guy, you know?)

So as the trading deadline of Wednesday at 3 draws nearer, the question thatís easy to answer isnít so much about how to make up for the losses of all those aforementioned regular players, itís one of how are the Flyers going to replace the Ivy League grad who skates like an Acela going off the tracks?

Easy answer: Eric Wellwood, who blew a chance to make the big club at the dawn of this screwy season by having fallen out of disfavor with Phantoms coach Terry Murray during the lockout. If Wellwood isnít given the chance to fill in for Zolnierczyk, whose main function of late was to skate up and down the practice ice really fast and then sit in the press box during games, well, then heís really buried in this organization.

Meanwhile, thereís the little matter of a defense thatís patchworked at best, and a forward unit in dire need of filling holes. And then thereís the more conceptual question of whether the Flyers are going to be proverbial buyers or sellers at the deadline. Apparently, those wins over the Bruins and Canadiens, stimulating as they were, might have swayed Holmgren to give consideration to do everything he can for this club to recover to the point of making the playoffs.

Tick...Tick...Tick...Holmgren cleared all these questions up Monday night by not commenting. Thatís OK, timeís short.

Talbot, probably the teamís top penalty killer who was getting his offensive game in gear of late, suffered an unfortunate fracture after getting tied up with Mike Green Sunday night against the boards. For fill-in guesses, there were multiple reports Monday that the Flyers have had informal talks about San Jose power forward Ryane Clowe.

But then, there were multiple reports in eight other cities that various teams have had informal talks about San Jose power forward Ryane Clowe.

Imagine how many teams would be interested if the guy had scored a goal this season?

At 30, Clowe is a pending unrestricted free agent, but one with a slipping resume. He opened eyes by scoring 24 goals and 62 points in 75 games two seasons ago. But last season he scored 17 goals and 45 points in 76 games, and through 28 games this season has yet to score a goal but has garnered 11 assists.

A newspaper report in Saint Johnís, Newfoundland, from which Clowe hails, says their boy was going to be dealt to the Flyers Monday. Somehow, other news outlets missed the scoop. Meanwhile, something with Clowe seemed imminent Monday night, as he was a healthy scratch against the Canucks.

The Flyers were also believed to be interested in reacquiring Jaromir Jagr, though that may be a screen by Jagrís agent, Petr Svoboda, whoís trying to get Jagr a new contract with the team heís currently leading in scoring, the Dallas Stars.

Another bevy of rumors has Holmgren looking into Calgary defenseman Jay Bouwmeester. Not a surprise with Nick Grossmann day to day (but he has been for a while), Braydon Coburn out for at least another few weeks with a separated shoulder and Andrej Meszaros (shoulder) facing season ending surgery Tuesday.

That Bouwmeester has a cap figure of $6.25 million for another year? Well ... that may be a problem.

But hey, thereís another day to make calls, send texts and generate rumors still to go.